Improve Your Coarse Fishing Magazine - Issue 391 by Improve Your Coarse Fishing magazine

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Expert edges to catch more on the feeder

Nick Speed s hit the righ hows you how to t spot every time

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ISSUE 391

SUMMER TACTICS THAT WON'T LET YOU DOWN STAND OUT WITH GLUGS

Use liquids to your advantage

BAIT ON A BUDGET

Get bream feeding for less than £10

THE BEST WAY FOR TENCH Master bagging up on the float

TESTED SHAKESPEARE'S VERSATILE BIG-FISH RODS

This month... Issue 391 July 5 – August 2, 2022

Fishery Focus

River Wey

Grand Western Canal

Farnham, Surrey Tiverton, Devon

Tactics 24

Be a better caster

Nick Speed shows you how

Bream on a budget

Tench on the waggler

10 tips for feeder fun

Bag up on the cheap

Classic tactic does the job

River pointers from experts

Hook size matters! What hook for what bait

47 52 56 58 64

4 IYCF | Issue 391

Get a bite in 30 secs

Pellet waggler at its best

Bream and tench

The Masterplan for success

Rig school

Worm kebab rig for tench

Stand out with glugs

More flavour gets more fish

Fish better with Des

Mr Shipp sorts catapulting

Tackle 72

76 78

102

Live test

Shakespeare SKP Solitude 11ft, 1.5lb test curve rods

New gear

Live test

Latest kit to hit the shops Daiwa Matchman 11ft Pellet Waggler rod

Carp tactics 96 100 102 34

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Daiwa Mission Your catch shots

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Particle baits

The best for pressured carp

Rig of the month

Surface missile floater rig

Swivel choice

Our guide to what to use

Carp Q&A

108

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FISHERY FOCUS An in-depth guide to the best stillwaters, rivers, and canals that you can fish for the price of a day ticket

8 IYCF | Issue 391

The perfect Wey to start a season River Wey, Farnham, Surrey

Mike Lyddon heads to a tiny water that has the potential to get your campaign off the ground in epic fashion Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

E’RE all guilty of reaching conclusions about certain types of venue before we even have a scrap of knowledge about them. Some are adamant that every commercial is simply a ‘hole in the ground’ stocked solely with carp, while others view vast reservoirs as a place where long range casting experts are the only ones that stand a chance of tasting angling success. Look a little deeper though, and those preconceived ideas are usually blown out of the water with reality a much more enticing prospect. Tiny rivers come in for the same treatment and are simply dismissed as no-hopers for anything other than a few tiny minnows. A few metres wide and barely ankle deep in parts, it’s easy to see why a first glance wouldn’t fill you with anticipation. But there are hidden gems out there that will leave you gobsmacked when you discover their true colours. The River Wey in the Surrey town of Farnham is largely overgrown, extremely narrow and crystal clear. Glance over one of the many bridges that arch over the

top of it and you’re unlikely to set eyes on anything of note. Trickle in a few morsels of bait in though, and the game changes instantly, with fish of all shapes and sizes darting out from under the cover to gobble up the food. It’s enough to supercharge your adrenaline levels, with the dark shapes that whizz around sure to tempt you into grabbing a rod and exploring its full potential. Big-fish angler Mike Lyddon did exactly that after a little exploration work and he told IYCF: “I’ve walked along the stretch before, and everything initially points to the notion that it wouldn’t be worth fishing. “It’s overgrown in parts and very shallow, giving the impression that there’d be nothing worth targeting. “But I’ve been fishing for long enough to know that nature has an incredible way of throwing up surprises and the River Wey is certainly one of them.” Mike has landed chub to over 4lb, dace nudging 1lb and the occasional trout during previous sessions and has even heard reports from a reliable source of roach to 2lb. Impressive action that is made even more spectacular when you consider it is a free fishing stretch.

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A E M O C E B TO R E T S A C R E T M AS ws k Speed sho rt Nic Feeder expe the right spot on you can hit gle chuck every sin

24 IYCF | Issue 391

TACTICS Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

OU may have a solid understanding of what makes your favourite rod and line tactic tick, but all that knowledge will go to waste if you haven’t mastered the art of casting. Dropping your rig into the same spot time after time is vital with all of the prolific commercial tactics including pellet waggler, bomb and Method feeder. Fail to get to grips with this essential skill and you’ll miss a chance to sample the big catches that are possible at this time of year. The Golden Rod is among the most difficult feeder-only tournaments to win in the match world, with dozens of the sport’s elite stars entering. Nick Speed put in a sterling performance during this year’s twoday final at Worcestershire’s Larford Lakes to take the prestigious trophy and the £10,000 prize. “There’s no doubt that accurate casting played a major part in winning that event,” explained Nick. “I see so many anglers that are on the verge of getting to grips with a tactic, but their casting lets them down and that has a major impact on how many fish they will catch. “There are lots of little things to consider when trying to improve your casting and if you piece them all together, you will soon reap the rewards.” IYCF this month teamed up with Nick at Nottinghamshire’s Hallcroft Fishery to find out his top 10 tips to becoming a master caster.

MAKE IT SMOOTHER “I see a lot of anglers line up their cast with the rod in front and then stutter at various points as they bring the rod backwards before applying the pressure to actually cast. “There’s absolutely no doubt that these momentary pauses have an impact on accuracy because they take the power out of the cast. “Each cast needs to be done in one smooth movement to prevent the momentum being watered down. “Point the rod in the direction of where you want to cast and then bring the rod back and whip it forwards again to cast in one movement.”

USE HEAVY FEEDERS “A lot of anglers try to get away with the lightest feeder that they can get their hands on, but a heavier version can massively aid accuracy. As a simple rule of thumb, I’ll use a 30g version for chucking up to 40m and a 42g for 50m. The weight helps the rig fly with ease, so you don’t need to force the cast which may put you off balance and cause the feeder to land out of place.”

Dedicate more thought to your casting and you’ll regularly catch big fish

Fill it in for only a tenner!

Sarah Taylor shows how to give a shoal of bream a substantial meal without busting your bait bill Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

LL OF us are being affected in one way or another by the cost of living crisis that’s gripped the nation. The price of petrol has hit record levels, energy bills are eye-wateringly high and the weekly shop is proving more expensive than ever. With all of that to contend with, it’s no wonder that people are tightening their belts to try and stay afloat. Keen anglers will still continue to get on the

30 IYCF | Issue 391

bank, but there’s little doubt most of us are looking at ways that we can save a few quid on our fishing exploits. Taking a little less bait than usual is one way to help reduce the burden on your wallet, but Sarah Taylor reckons you can still pile in plenty of grub without breaking the bank. With the fish at their most active and demanding plenty of food to keep their energy levels high, this is no time for skimping on

how much you put in, especially if bream and skimmers are your target. “They are a species that will hoover up plenty of bait at this time of year and if you don’t put in enough they won’t stay in your peg for very long,” Sarah told us. “Heavy feeding doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money though, and a tenner will get you all the bait you need to put a big weight of bream together.”

TACTICS

TACTICS: POLE SPECIES: BREAM DIFFICULTY:

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BAIT e D N U GRO lls at th

TACTICS: FLOAT SPECIES: TENCH DIFFICULTY:

o ba Feed two lay down a start t et of feed carp

NS PRAWcan’ t

Tench e taste h resist t beauties of these

MAG

Loosefeed GOTS r to distrac egularly t sm silverfish all

MICROdS ful to

n Add a haoundbait your gr the food to boost ent cont

TACTICS

You can’t beat tench on the float Angling doesn’t get any better than the pure simplicity of this timeless tactic, insists Mark Dunwell during a tinca-filled session Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

F THE magic of fishing could be demonstrated by one tactic, then it has to be fishing for tench on the float. The morning mist lingers above the surface at first light, with plumes of vapour leaving your mouth as each breath greets the cool morning air. A light waggler is lowered into the margins close to an enticing feature and shortly after the initial dose of feed has gone in, the tell-tail pinprick bubbles start to break the surface. Adrenaline levels rocket at such a sight and just when you thought things couldn’t get any more exciting, the float dips and the idyllic silence is interrupted as line zips off the reel and the rod hoops over. Moments of danger are inevitable as your quarry dashes for cover but a combination of skill, perseverance, and luck lead to a successful

conclusion as an olive green tench surrenders. That whole episode is enough to make any angler want to go fishing but how easy is it in reality to make such dream moments become reality? Mark Dunwell reckons we’ve all got the potential to make it happen right now. An avid big-fish enthusiast, he’s a massive fan of leaning on the waggler when chasing tench. “It’s a really exciting way of fishing and if you do things correctly, it is even more effective than the feeder or lead,” said Mark. “Selecting the correct baits is often the key to making things pan out how you want. “Your local fishery is bound to stock other species, but you can be selective and ensure the majority of bites are from tench by working with a few different offerings. You only need a small quantity of each and they all have a job to do.”

It’s hard to beat catching fish like this on the float

CORiN ant

l A bril it that a hookb s out in stand ed water colour www.greatmagazines.co.uk | IYCF 35

Big stillwater bream & tench Darren Starkey reveals the approach required to fool quality slabs and bonus tincas from a lake near you Photography Ian Jones Words Darren Starkey

ACKLING large, open expanses of water for bream and tench can be daunting but by following a few simple guidelines, the rewards can be jaw-dropping. These venues often have no islands to cast to, with underwater bars and ledges tricky to locate. This can leave you scratching your head with regards to where you should attack, but there will always be a few clues.

1. 40m with a maggot feeder 2. 40m with an open-ended feeder

1. Two bags of groundbait 2. Two pints of maggots 3. ½ kilo of worms 4. Tin of hemp 5. Bag of 3mm pellets

Hawk Lake on the Hull DAA-controlled Brough complex. Members only, tickets £40 a year plus a £10 joining fee

52 IYCF | Issue 391

Wind direction is the first to consider and heading for the end of the lake that the breeze has been hacking towards is always a wise decision. This is because natural food will have washed down with it and hungry slabs will certainly follow. Location is only part of the equation, though, and knowing how much bait to add, when to top up and relying on the correct rigs are equally vital if you want to get big fish.

An open-ended feeder packed with groundbait was used from the off

This enables you to present two very different rigs over the bed of bait that builds up and concentrates the fish in one area. Like humans, fish can switch their food Bream are renowned for living well away preferences overnight but, by using two different from the bank and today I’m going to fish 40m rigs that are delivering a different type of out. I could go further, but there is a strong loosefeed, I give myself a better shot at crosswind and chucking beyond that putting what they really want in front could hamper my ability to feed of them. As a pattern emerges with and cast accurately. bites, I can switch both rods to Two rods come into play but the most effective for that day. they’ll both be fished in roughly Regular casting is important in the same area, sitting just a the early stages to lay down few feet apart. One will deploy a bed of bait. Big bream and the maggot feeder, with an tench are greedy fish, and the Worms and maggots open-ended feeder packed with feeders shouldn’t stay in place were the opening groundbait, with a worm kebab for any longer than 15 minutes hookbaits hookbait on the other. before recasting.

A mixture of groundbaits and glugs are whipped together

The blend creates a dark mixture that will appeal to both species

The regular casting routine that you performed in the first hour needs to continue, but by this point there is every chance you’ve stirred a response below the surface. My groundbait is a 50/50 mix of Dynamite Marine Halibut and Frenzied Hemp Big Feed and Frenzied Hemp with Worm Meal. This creates a dark brown colour and the attraction is enhanced with the addition of Worm Liquid to the mixing water. Last, but not least, is some 3mm Dynamite Swim Stim Red Krill pellets, which have been soaked in XL Liquid worm to create a bright red pellet. Packed into a feeder, it delivers plenty of food content to keep the fish occupied, with the vast array of scent leaking off to draw more in from other areas of the lake. My first fish of the day is a 3lb tench over the groundbait and that is a prompt to switch the maggot feeder over to another open-ended feeder as I’m confident that is what has prompted the response. I use Korum Combi feeders because they enable you to quickly swap between the two depending on what proves most effective on the day. The switch pays off as what I am convinced is a carp sends the clutch spinning shortly afterwards. My gut instinct was wrong, though, and a double-figure bream is soon in the net!

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TACTICS: FEEDER SPECIES: CARP DIFFICULTY:

TACTICS

Boost your PVA bags

STAND OUT WITH GLUGS Joe Jaggar shows how flavoured bags of freebies can help transform your fortunes when using bomb and pellet tactics Words & Photography Tony Grigorjevs

T’S HARDLY a secret that bomb and pellet tactics are highly effective at this time of year. The near-constant rain of bait plopping in sparks a reaction and, once the fish arrive, they’re encouraged to stay put as they keep finding food while grazing. Visit any carp-dominated fishery at this time of year and a good proportion of anglers will be giving it a whirl. This leads to the shoals splitting because of the number of spots fish can get a meal from, and that in turn can reduce the number of bites. It’s therefore important to do something different to those around you if you want to

experience the lion’s share of the action – and Joe Jaggar has a twist on the approach to give you that edge. Once a dedicated specimen carp angler, he ditched the bite alarms for a seatbox approach around three years ago and has made the transition seamlessly. “I love bomb and pellet fishing at this time of year, but I want my hookbait to stand out from a big bed of freebies that have been fed. Using PVA bags is the way to do that,” explained Joe. “Hours of practise with the tactic has convinced me that it is miles more effective than a standard attack, and it has a habit of picking out the bigger carp.” A big carp that couldn’t resist Joe’s approach hits the net

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Fish better with...

DES SHIPP

Brush up on key angling skills with England International Des, to put more fish on the bank

THIS MONTH: FEED ACCURATELY WITH A CATAPULT G DIN E E F

IT P E KEIGHT! T

HETHER you are fishing a stillwater, a river or a canal, the fish in front of you will be ready to feed aggressively. Warm water fires up their appetites and, if you put the bait in, the shoals will soon come and find it. However, lashing it in aimlessly can cause problems so accuracy is paramount. Your loosefeed needs to be concentrated as tightly as possible over your rig, increasing the chances of a fish finding it quickly once it starts to grub around. Having your rig just a couple of feet away from where the main bed of loosefeed is built up can have a major impact on your overall result, with most of the fish unlikely to even realise it’s there in this instance. Fortunately, there are lots of simple adjustments that you can make to improve your accuracy when feeding with a catapult, and this month I reveal five of the most effective.

SETTLE ON AN ELASTIC Some things in fishing come down to personal preference, and the tension in the catapult’s elastic is one. I like to use a thick elastic that pings the bait with minimal drawback. That said, I’ve fished against some of the best in the business who swear by an elastic that needs stretching a lot more. Trial and error is the way forward. Once you’ve settled on an elastic that suits, stick with it so that you get used to the degree of tension that needs applying when pulling before letting go

64 IYCF | Issue 391

2 FEED THE SAME BAITS Mixing different sizes of offerings in a catapult is a recipe for disaster. Their varying weights will make them fly at a different pace, leading to them landing in a range of places within your swim. If, for example, you want to feed a few 4mm pellets and then the same quantity of 6mms, simply do it in two feeds to make sure you maintain accuracy

3 PICK A MARKER You’ll have a rough idea of where your feed is supposed to go, but it can be hard to be super accurate without the aid of a far bank marker. Glance at the horizon and pick a distinctive object that won’t move, and make sure you aim for that each time you ping the catapult. Trees or other obvious snags are ideal

USE THE GRAPHICS Every pole has graphics emblazoned along the side of the thicker sections and I always use them to make sure I am fishing in the same spot every time. Ship out and remember where your elbow is resting once you reach your target zone. This will give you certainty that you are fishing over your baited spot and also make sure you aim for the correct area when topping up with the catapult

THE PERFECT POUCH The style of catapult pouch that you use may seem insignificant, but it has a big impact on how tightly your loosefeed groups. I like a semi-rigid mesh version as it holds its shape, preventing any of the pouch restricting bait movement when feeding. Select a pouch that is suitable for the quantity of bait you intend to introduce. Using one bigger than necessary can lead to overfeeding

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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY EXPERTS... I miss a large proportion of the bites when fishing for F1s shallow. How can I stop this from happening?

FLOAT

A dibber-style float is ideal for fishing in the top 18in of water. Use a 4x10 or 4x12 and slap in the rig to make some noise

MICHAEL NEWTON, EMAIL

F1s can inhale a bait and spit it back out within a split second. This often leads to you striking at a point when the fish has already swam off. Here are several adjustments you can make to your rig that can stack the odds in your favour, giving the fish less of an opportunity to escape the trap.

LINE

Maintain a short length of line between pole tip and float. This will reduce the amount of time it takes to connect with the rig on striking. Try making it 6in-9in

SHOTTING

Place all the shot tight against the hooklength knot. This creates a bolt-rig effect, leading to fish hooking themselves upon feeling the resistance

HOOKLENGTH

ASK US A QUESTION... Email: IYCF@bauermedia.co.uk Write to: IYCF Magazine, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA www.facebook.com/iycfmag @iycfmagazine

68 IYCF | Issue 391

A short hooklength enables the bulk of shot to be closer to the hook. Use 4in of 0.13mm line to a size 16 hook

BAIT

Feed half a dozen 4mm pellets every 30 seconds and use a 6mm banded hookbait so it stands out from the crowd

After a couple of early bream on the pole, I get plagued by small fish. What can I do to keep catching the slabs?

HOW TO USE A BAITDROPPER

STEVE FLEET, EMAIL

Bream are notorious for spooking easily and once a little commotion has erupted in your swim, they’ll be on high alert. It doesn’t mean they’ll leave your peg, though, and more often than not they’ve simply drifted off the main bed of bait. Keep feeding the same spot, but fish around it. Pushing anything between 1m-4m beyond, or to the left or right, can relocate the shoal. Don’t be tempted to feed where you find the fish, though, or you’ll start the process off again and you could eventually push them to a point where you can’t reach them.

Open the shutter on the baitdropper and fill the frame with liquidised bread

Close the shutter on the baitdropper

Pull the lever so that the hook comes over the shutter to secure it in place

Run the line through the loop and hook the cork. Lower the baitdropper and when the arm hits the deck, the feed is released

There are huge numbers of bleak in my local river that sit close to the surface. There are lots of quality roach, perch and dace that sit deeper, but getting loosefeed down to them seems impossible. Is there any way around this?

PETER HARRIS, EMAIL

This a common problem on rivers at this time of year as bleak team up to devour pretty much every maggot, pinkie and caster as it sinks. The best way to deliver the bait is via a baitdropper. This holds the loosefeed in a cage until it hits the deck and then opens to release the contents. Use a heavy rig with a large olivette to bomb your hookbait down quickly and you’ll have a much better chance of catching the fish you are after.

I’m new to river fishing and recently lost a couple of decent barbel in snags. The fish found them midriver and to say I was gutted would be an understatement. Is there any way of stopping this from happening again? LUKE DONNELLEY, EMAIL

First off, it’s great to hear you’re having a crack on the rivers – they really do offer some exciting sport. If you’re used to stillwaters, there’s every chance you’re keeping the rod low while playing fish. When targeting carp or F1s with a tactic like the Method, this is correct as it maintains the ideal amount of pressure on the hookhold. It’s a whole different ball game on rivers, though, because of the flow and inevitable snags. Once a big fish is hooked, you need to try to get it up in the water and this involves holding the rod high while playing the fish aggressively and not giving it an inch during the battle. This will reduce the number of fish that find snags although the problem can never be completely eradicated in certain swims. Make sure you’re using rods, reels and terminal tackle that are able to take you piling on the pressure and the next barbel you hook has a much better chance of ending up in the net.

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With traditional styling and bold graphics Solitude rods make a real statement

“The tench didn’t stand a chance!” LIVE TEST

IYCF’s James Furness has been putting Shakespeare’s latest big-fish rods through their paces during his recent tench campaign

SHAKESPEARE SKP SOLITUDE 11ft 1.5lb RODS RRP: £84.99

’VE really been enjoying my tench fishing this spring and summer. Heading up the A14 to a club water I’ve been focusing on has been the highlight of my week for the last few months. I haven’t managed to catch the new PB I was hoping for but, on most trips, I’ve landed several fish ranging between 4lb and 6lb which has been great fun. Last month I was sent a pair of the 1.5lb test curve rods from Shakespeare’s new SKP Solitude range and I’ve had several

The rods boast plenty of power in the butt section for controlling the fight

72 IYCF | Issue 391

sessions to really get a feel for them. They’ve been perfect for the type of fishing I’ve been doing, but would also make great specimen bream rods and could also be used for surface fishing on small waters for carp to double figures where you need to accurately flick out light controller floats. They’d also be fine for fishing small deadbaits for pike or big baits like prawns and lobworms for perch in winter. But for this review I’m mainly going to offer you my impressions of them for tench fishing.

TACKLE

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CARP Q&A

IN ASSOCIATION WITH STICKY

HOW CAN I MAKE MY BAIT LAST A LITTLE LONGER?

You’ll need to check baits for buoyancy

Do pop-up hookbaits lose buoyancy over time? How long can I leave one out in the water and be confident the rig is working 100% efficiently?

Lee Hirst, email LUKE STEVENSON: Buoyancy will always

With the cost of everything rising, I’m trying to make my bait go a bit further. Would it be okay to freeze leftover spod mix at the end of a session to save for next time?

Harley Davids, email OZ HOLNESS: Absolutely! There’s no

reason why you can’t re-freeze your bait for the next session. I wouldn’t recommend doing it multiple times as the baits will harden up. But instead of refreezing your bait, have you thought about ways in which you can make your bait go further at a more cost-effective price? I’m a huge fan of particles especially in the summer months and they’re a great bulk feeder. A sack of pigeon conditioner will last you a very long time, and coupling something like this with a few boilies and plenty of powerful liquids such as Pure Fish from the Pure Naturals range, you’ll soon be using the quantity of bait you want to without breaking the bank.

104 IYCF | Issue 391

my plements your bait – Use a liquid that com along with uid Liq h Fis re Pu preference is the The Krill and particles

Particle bai ts not only p money, th ey’re really rovide great value fo r effective th roughout th e year

be affected when it comes to hookbaits and how long they’re in the water for. Over time, they will draw it in and make the hookbait heavier/denser and therefore won’t be as light in comparison to when you may have tested them in the margin before casting out. There are ways in which you can help yourself. This could be by drilling out the centre of the pop up and plugging it with cork. This will add more buoyancy and help counteract the water being drawn into the hookbait. Secondly, you can look at using cork ball pop-ups. These are something I’ve used for many years now as I want the rig to remain on the spot for long periods of time in some circumstances. This ensures the buoyancy will remain until I decide to reel in or, hopefully, when I have a bite!

Adding cork to your hookbait will help increase and prolong the buoyancy

YOUR CARP QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY STICKY’S EXPERT ANGLERS

How much, and what type of baits should I use for stalking carp in the edge? Kyle Jackson, email

Everyone on my lake seems to fish over beds of Spombed bait mixes. Do you think fishing over a catapulted spread of just boilies would work as well?

Jack Watson, email

NICK HELLEUR: Most of the time,

you’ll be looking for those polished spots over which carp have clearly been feeding. In which case, crumb and whole boilie would be my go-to baits, especially this time of the year post-spawning. You do need to be careful not to use too many smaller items as the carp can easily get pre-occupied on these, making it harder to receive a bite. I would prefer to use bottom baits like The Krill Tuff Ones boosted in extra liquids in comparison with pop-ups unless the spot said otherwise. You want to mimic your feed as closely as possible to try trip them up. Always opt for bottom baits if the spot is clean and you can see it in the edge

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ADAM PENNING: Dare to be different! I can

guarantee that doing something against the grain and not following a trend with bait on a water will catch you carp, and usually the ones which are being more elusive. My most recent campaign was a prime

example of this. Many anglers in previous years had always gone with bright fluoro hookbaits over boilies. This didn’t mean I ruled out boilies – there was a time when I went on a great run of captures using three-bait stringers and casting at showing carp – but I also found great success using a groundbait mix which was very fine but very heavy to ensure it reached the bottom. This was opposite to what every other angler was doing, and it worked a treat! It’s the same with rigs too. Think outside the box and give them something different to deal with and you’ll put more carp on the bank, especially if those fishing over tight beds of bait aren’t setting the lake on fire with catches!

HOW TO CREATE A HEAVY GROUNDBAIT MIX

Take your Krill Active Mix and empty a quantity into a bucket

Add a few handfuls of Krill Powder too

Next, a good dose of Pure GLM Powder goes into the mix

Give the powders a good mix before adding a little Pure Shrimp Liquid at a time

Finally, add a few handfuls of 2.3mm Bloodworm Pellets to the mix

You’ll be left with a heavy and irresistable mix thats different from the norm!

Patience is key when fiahing floating baits

When floater fishing, I can get the carp feeding but a lot of them spook off my hookbait. I’m using a trimmeddown pop-up on a short hair. Is there a different presentation which you could recommend?

Gordon West, email JONNY FLETCHER: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily about your hookbait (although this is very important), it’s about the timing and manner in which you’re feeding freebies. A good surface angler will angle with patience and look to build up fish confidence before introducing the hookbait. Once they seem to be taking the floaters (Krill, of course), I will introduce the hookbait which in most cases is a trimmed down Krill pop-up, soaked a little in water to try and negate the buoyancy ever so slightly. I trim the pop-up down to the same size as my feed, then get the buoyancy just right with the added water so it blends in.